


Angus' First Date

by WhatTheBuck



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Cute, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Found Family, I'll think of more, I'm Bad At Tagging, Please suggest me some, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: e067-069 Story and Song Parts 1-3, Slice of Life, just a little bit tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2020-10-17 21:50:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20628092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatTheBuck/pseuds/WhatTheBuck
Summary: Angus McDonald gets asked out by a girl in his class. Everyone is excited. Tres Horny Bois are very excited, and want to be sure the date goes well. Of course, they go a little overboard.





	1. Appetizer

The piercing shatter of a dish meeting the floor punctuated the silence. Taako stood across from Angus, watching the boy detective with stunned, wide eyes. Angus McDonald, quaking in his shoes, stared back, unsure from the elf’s reaction to the news.

“...Ango?” the elf managed.

“...yes, sir?” the boy replied, straightening his glasses and trying to stop trembling.

“...repeat those words...exactly as you said them.” Taako brushed a strand of hair from his face, kneeling down slightly to get closer to Angus. His voice was low and severe, frightening the boy detective. He wasn't sure if he'd ever heard Taako speak so sternly. The only thing that surprised him more was Taako's non-reaction to breaking a dish or any sort of kitchenware. If he knew this was the reaction he would’ve gotten, he would’ve not said anything at all.

“...uh...a--a girl...wants to go on a date. With...with me,” the young human responded.

No. No, Taako hadn’t misheard. No, Angus wasn’t playing a joke, the elf didn't know if he could. Angus McDonald, boy-detective, star pupil, and rising soccer player, had a date.

Istus still his heart, this might be the greatest day of Taako’s life.

Taako never saw himself as much of a father, but Angus chose to live with them after the Day of Story and Song. Taako could teach him magic, Lup and Barry liked him, and Kravitz was warming up to him after a while. Angus was smart, he could easily take care of himself and even helped out around himself. It was like raising a child with none of the bad stuff, according to Taako. There were anxious days where Taako had to find the right thing to help calm Angus, and he usually could. However, nothing could’ve prepared either of them for the unbridled shriek of joy that escaped Taako’s mouth. With a flick of his wrist, the shards of plate on the floor whisked themselves away as he grabbed both of Angus’ shoulders, holding him firmly in place as the questions flowed from his mouth.

“What’s her name? Is she cute? Is she an elf? How pretty is she? Does she like magic? Cooking? Food? Those weird books you read? Is she a nerd like you?”

“Sir--...sir, I...SIR!” Angus suddenly shouted, halting Taako’s breakneck questioning. He pulled his trademark feathered cap off, running his fingers through his hair to try and calm down, “she...her name is Lilly. W-We have a class together, and she saw my Caleb Cleveland books--”

“Aww, she _is_ a nerd!”

“....a-and she said she liked them, too. We talked a lot. Turns out she’s a half-elf. And she’s...really smart. And really pretty…”

“Well, then it looks like you have it all figured out, my man!” Taako ruffled Angus’ hair. “Mazel tov! Tell me how it goes!” he waved and turned back to his work in the kitchen.

“Sir, it’s…” Angus clutched his hat in both hands, “...I don’t know what to do.” That made Taako stop and slowly turn back around, his ears drooped.

“Bud, there’s really not that much to it. You just go and have a nice time, have some good food. You’ve had a crush before, right?” Angus didn’t answer. “...oh. Well, uhm…” This gave Taako pause for thought. It was no secret that Taako was way more outgoing than Angus, but Angus really had no experience. Taako knew how to pretty himself up, how to please people, and where to find good food. Angus, however, had few (if any) friends before getting to the moonbase or once Neverwinter was rebuilt. Before then, he had Caleb Cleveland and his own detective skills. Angus was happy to now have friends, he was delighted to be on the soccer team, but the idea of a girlfriend never occurred to him. Caleb never had a girlfriend. And, while Angus was surrounded by all sorts of love and couples since meeting the Bureau crew, he still never gave it any thought. Taako clapped his hands together and opened his mouth: “Alright, Ango McDango. Your first date. You’re gonna--”

“_WAIT!_”

A shout from upstairs and a sudden series of thumps shook the house. Down the stairs bounded Lup, her hair a frazzled mess and clothes disheveled. She glanced between Taako and Angus with wide eyes, her body heaving with each breath. “Did you just say… ‘first date’... and ‘Angus’...in the same sentence?” she managed, pointing a finger at both of them as she spoke. Taako grinned while Angus hid his face in his hat.

“Ain’t it great? His first date! Angus is totally gonna knock her socks off. I was just about to give him some pointers,” the wizard responded, smugly leaning against the counter with his hands behind his back.

“Taako!” Lup groaned, “He needs something to _wear_!” As quick as she came, Lup leaped back up the stairs. Her excited shouting could still be heard: “Babe! Babe, wake up! Angus has a _date_!”

The world’s most embarrassed detective pressed his hat harder against his face, letting out a whimper. Taako tilted his head at him.

“Yeesh, you’re really nervous, huh?”

“At this rate, everyone’s gonna know.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

Angus paused. “...I guess not.”

“Well, thank goodness for that.” Taako held out his hand and opened his palm, revealing a glowing Stone of Farspeech. Angus felt a pit in his stomach. Taako must’ve grabbed it while Lup was shouting. Angus groaned again and wished he could disappear.

“Sir, you didn’t…”

“Oh, Ango,” Taako smirked, “I totally did.”

* * *

For Angus, the world spun when Lilly asked him on a date. His happiness manifested as warm tingling in his chest in the moment before the suffocating anxiety set in. For everyone else, their worlds seemed to stop as soon as Taako told them the news. Kravitz arrived more-or-less instantly. His first move was to become an outlet for Taako’s excited babbling. Angus needed the reprieve. Next was Magnus, rushing in to give Angus a bear hug. Lucretia and Merle arrived soon after, the former warmly telling the flustered detective how proud she was of him, while the latter knocked him with a hearty slap on the back. The room was abuzz with excitement, all centered on Angus. He never knew the feeling of being the center of attention, and, if this was the typical experience, he hated it. But he couldn’t deny how loved he felt. His school friends would undoubtedly be excited, too, but Angus would be ready for their excitement: Some high-fives, a “congratulations” or two, and a warm welcome for Lilly into their circle of friends. The constant noise and fawning from his family put Angus on edge, but it warmed him to feel that they cared so much. Taako, Merle, and Magnus’ teasing could be too much at times, but their enthusiasm here was genuine. It didn’t take being the world’s greatest detective to figure that out.

“You still with us, Agnes?”

The warm, gravelly voice of Merle Highchurch pulled Angus out of his thoughts.

“Oh! Uh, yep, still here.” He managed a smile. Merle returned an actually genuine one and sat next to Angus.

“You know, I never thought about Mavis and Mookie getting dates. I don’t know what I’d say.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’d come up with something good, sir!”

Merle chuckled at that. “Heh. Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I did bag me a wife,” he grinned, confidently folding his arms behind his head.

“...sir, aren’t you divorced?’

“Ahh, details, details. The point is I can give you some advice on how to put the _moves_ on her~” Merle winked, putting an arm around Angus.

The young detective’s cheeks flushed red. “The--The ‘moves’?” he stammered, “Sir, I don’t know about--”

“Nonsense, they worked for me one hundred percent of the time!”

Angus opened his mouth to debate that but found that Merle was, in fact, technically correct. The worst kind of correct.

Merle continued, “alright, kid, first thing is--”

“Merle!” Taako suddenly appeared over them, hands on his hips. “He doesn’t need to worry about that yet! He’s, like, ten!”

“I’m thirteen,” Angus corrected, sheepishly holding up three fingers.

“That’s like ten!” the elf repeated, scoffing, “Whatever. Lup and I have been working on the most important part of the date for you, mango: Appearances!”

“Uh...what did you come up with?”

Was there a word for chest-crushing anxiety and impending dread thinly veiled by polite intrigue?

Taako nodded over his shoulder, then stepped to another room in the house. Angus swallowed hard before following. He wasn’t sure if he could mentally prepare himself enough for whatever they’d come up with. Taako and Lup together were a formidable force.

Before Angus hung a suit. Knowing the combined skill of the twin elves, it had to be a perfect fit. Clothes that fit weren’t his concern, though. What concerned him more was the glitter that seemed to radiate from the dark-purple fabric of the jacket and matching pants. Angus tilted his head as he walked forward, examining the glistening outfit. Touching it stained his fingers with the twinkling particles.

“Whaddya think, kid?” a proud Lup asked from behind him, arms crossed beneath her prideful grin, “Not too bad, huh?”

“It’s certainly…” Angus struggled to think of the right word, “...bright. Is it enchanted?”

“Absolutely! Taako wanted to be sure it never stopped sparkling!”

“Oh,” Angus gulped. He knew he could easily cast Dispel Magic and be done with it, but Taako and Lup worked hard on his date night outfit. He wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings. The twin elves waited on the other side of the door before Angus stepped out, straightening his tie. Despite the gaudy sparkling, the suit did look great on him. Underneath the jacket was a black button-down and a similarly dark tie. Angus looked between the two elves, trying not to fidget.

“So...what do you think?”

Taako’s reply was smug: “I made it, kid, you know what I think.”

Lup, on the other hand, beamed. The excited glimmers in her eyes almost matched the suit. “You, look, _amazing_! Come on, we need to show everyone!”

With a yelp, Angus was dragged back to the den, accompanied by a theatrical announcement of his arrival, courtesy of Taako: “Presenting the dashing Casanova himself, Angus McDonald!” Merle, Barry, Kravitz, and Magnus all clapped, the dwarf sending out whoops and cheers. Lucretia masterfully hid a grin by holding a hand to her mouth. She had forgotten how “creative” Lup and Taako could be together. She wouldn’t say Angus looked ridiculous, the suit did actually look good on him, but that didn’t change how totally unprepared she was for the reveal.

More commotion, more center-of-attention, more being fawned over, Angus ducked away the first chance he got. He was the world's greatest detective and had gone toe-to-toe with murderers, why was he getting so worked up over this? After grabbing a glass of water, the human took a sip as he looked at the clock, only to nearly spit at seeing how much time had passed. It wasn’t long now until he had to leave for his date! The time couldn't have gone by that fast! Was Istus in on this, too?

A gentle hand on his shoulder pulled Angus out of his quickly-spiraling anxiety. He followed the arm up to Lucretia's calm, gentle smile.

“Are you okay, Angus?”

“...I don't know, Madame Dir—Lucretia. It's...sooner than I thought.”

Lucretia forgave him for the slip-up, taking a seat at the island in Taako's kitchen. Angus stood across from her.

“Did you ever...date anyone, miss Lucretia?”

“I'm...afraid I never had time,” she responded, folding her hands on the island's surface, “Between the IPRE and eventually the Bureau, I never thought about those things. I was so focused on my work.”

Angus nods, then lowering his head and leaning against the counter. Another shiver of anxiety escaped him as a shaky sigh. “I am so nervous…”

“I would say you don't have to worry too much, your suit does a lot of talking.” Angus’ head snapped up in confusion, but Lucretia remained as stoic and calm as ever. “I'm serious. You _want_ to impress her, obviously, but you're not trying too hard. You're letting the true identity of yourself and those who are important to you shine through.” She paused to watch the perpetual glimmering on the suit’s fabric. “...Quite literally, actually. It means you're confident in you, the same you that she's at least somewhat enamored with.”

Angus slowly nodded, his mind feeling calmer with Lucretia's wisdom. He smiled, glancing again to check the time. “I should go. Thank you, miss Lucretia.”

The Director nodded to him and waved. The boy detective said his goodbyes and left the house, beginning the walk to a nice restaurant they'd agreed to meet at. Merle and Magnus left soon after, leaving Taako, Kravitz, Barry, Lup, and Lucretia remaining. Taako watched the window for a few moments then turned to walk to his room, a considerable amount of determination in his step, only to walk smack into Kravitz, his arms crossed and eyebrow perked.

“You're scheming.”

“I'm what?” Taako gasped, barely managing to hide his surprise at Kravitz’s direct questioning.

“I know that look, you're scheming.”

“Don't know what you're talking about. I just hope Angus has a good time.”

Taako snorts and brushes past Kravitz, leaving him staring ahead. He sighs and shakes his head, glancing around at the other three. Lup had a similar look on her face and was eagerly whispering to Barry and Lucretia.

This was going to be one hell of a night.


	2. Main Course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wew, sorry for the long wait! Life got really crazy for a time, and I kept going back and rewriting parts due to new ideas from me and my pre-reader (MyKindOfCrazy). I really hope you all enjoy it and I promise it won't be another 1.5 months until the end!

Angus McDonald, boy detective.

By a chance meeting on the Rockport Limited between him and three travelers, Angus would embark on the greatest adventure of his life. A space station disguised as a moon, learning magic with Taako, the Day of Story and Song, it was enough for a lifetime, and he was only ten. Three years later, Angus was at the top of his class in Neverwinter, had a supportive group of friends, and was finding enjoyment in soccer. He settled into an ordinary life reasonably well, as well as a young boy could after the events he and his family had gone through.

He had grown so much in those three years. Taller, building some muscle, and his hair had only gotten curlier and messier. When he saw himself in the mirror, seeing how he grew, he felt proud. He felt grown up. When he reached peace after rebuilding Neverwinter and settling in, he felt like he could finally conclude that adventure.

Then being asked out by a girl quickly demoted all that to only his second-greatest adventure.

On his walk to the restaurant they had agreed to meet at (one Taako had favorably mentioned some time ago), Angus was thankful to not bump into anyone on the street who recognized him. Or maybe he did, but was too lost in thought to acknowledge it; Lilly occupied his mind. They had some classes together, but she and Angus never talked much before the past couple of days. She was smart, which was good, and she liked Caleb Cleveland, which was enough common ground for Angus to build off of. Angus always thought he would weigh the intellectual side of someone more heavily than the physical, but Angus caught his mind wandering back to how pretty she was. Was that wrong? Looks aren't everything, but he didn’t want to think he was judging her by looks over intellect. Or maybe she liked that? Maybe girls, in general, liked that? What if she thought he was awkward by totally ignoring how pretty she was? Gods, Angus wished he had asked all this before he left, but Taako’s mini fashion show starring him ate up time.

He got so caught up in these hypotheticals that he almost walked straight past where he was going. He collected himself and straightened his jacket (which got glitter on his hands) then walked inside.

“Table for two, please.”

“Right this way, mister McDonald.”

While Angus knew he was a semi-celebrity and plenty of people recognized him, both from being a member of the Bureau and an associate of Taako, the thought did cross his mind: Just how many people did Taako call?

The interior of the restaurant was dim, lit mostly by candles at the tables and lamps on the walls. It created an intimate atmosphere, making this a popular spot for romantic dinners. As Angus took his seat, ordering water for himself and his date, it didn’t take him long to notice that he was, in fact, the youngest person in the restaurant by at least a decade. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t do anything to quell his anxieties. His age probably only made him stick out like a sore thumb even more.

He was about midway down another spiral of anxiety when a voice stopped him.

It was soft.

It was sweet.

It was her.

“Angus McDonald?”

Angus slowly looked up, his eyes meeting hers.

There she was: Lilly.

Her bright green irises stared at his own from behind thin, wide, round glasses. Black twintails fell from her head, and her hands gently fidgeted with the hem of her white dress. They were both frozen like that until Angus remembered his manners, quickly standing up and straightening his jacket.

“L-Lilly!” he managed, quickly pausing to check the volume of his voice, “you..uh...you look great.”

“You, too,” she giggled awkwardly. She looks Angus over, knitting her brow when she caught the glimmer of the suit in the candlelight. “...is that glitter?”

“_Magic_ glitter.” Angus quickly responded, sucking in another breath. “It was Taako’s idea.”

“You mean from TV?”

Great. Lilly knew Taako. Well, maybe that wasn’t bad, everyone knew _of_ Taako. Angus was confident she had never actually met Taako before.

Angus nodded and broke himself away from his frozen spot at the table to pull out a chair for Lilly, mentally cursing himself for not remembering his manners. She smiled as she sat down, watching Angus as he took his seat.

“I didn’t know you knew Taako.”

“Well, he’s kind of my dad.”

Lilly lit up. “No way! So, like, you live with him? What’s that like? You never talk about him that much.”

“Well, uh, he’s...already pretty famous because of the Story and Song and all. Besides, I’m always busy with…” Angus trailed off. Shoot, he thought, I got myself into a corner.

Lilly quickly pounced on his shyness, not letting Angus worm out of whatever he was about to say. It surprised him. “With what?”

“...I...I’m the world’s greatest detective.”

In pursuing schooling and the soccer team, Angus had to admit he had fallen behind on practicing magic with Taako and the other spellcasters from the Bureau. He wished he hadn’t, because the next step for him would have been illusion magic, such as learning to cast invisibility. Coincidentally, disappearing was something Angus wished he could do right now. Angus remembered meeting the Bureau’s reclaimers on the Rockport Limited for the first time while he was hunting the Rockport Slayer. The three of them, who eventually became three of his seven parents, were rude, crass, and childish. He had no problem acting professional and smug to them even just out of spite. But when it came to Lilly, a beautiful and sweet girl, he felt so very small and insignificant. Was the title meaningful? Or was he bragging? Or, and this was the worst thought so far, would she think he was just pretending to be--

“Like Caleb Cleveland?”

Lilly tilted her head at Angus. The boy detective saw no hint of snark nor tease in her expression. It was neutral and curious. Maybe he was _like_ Caleb Cleveland, but he knew he was smart and solved real crimes. He helped save the universe!

“Not exactly. I do solve crimes, but...real crimes. I helped stop the Rockport Slayer.”

“That was you?!” Lilly gasped, sending Angus into stunned astonishment. “I remember that from the Story and Song! I didn’t know that it was you, though!”

“...Yeah, yeah, it was,” Angus grinned, “but I’ve got plenty of more cases I could tell you about!”

Lilly leaned forward on her elbows. “Do tell!”

* * *

As Angus and Lilly chatted away, so much so that they didn’t even notice their drinks arriving nor the waiter attempting to ask them for their meal, another group a couple tables over watched on in excitement. Barry and Lup looked with glee, giggling to themselves and frantically whispering about the teens. Lucretia sat there, too, much more subtle in her staring but giddy all the same.

“I never thought much of these activities while I was in the IPRE, or as Madame Director, but this is...dreadfully exciting!”  
“Shh, look, they’re still going!” Lup excitedly whispered, clinging to her Barry. “Five silver says they won’t even notice when the food gets there.”

“You kidding?” Barry snickered, “No bet.”

A fourth sat at the table with them, Kravitz, but his attention was distracted. He was looking around the restaurant with narrowed eyes. Given how quickly Magnus and Merle made themselves scarce after Angus left, he knew they were up to something, but Taako was his concern.

The elf had informally adopted Angus once he had found a house in Neverwinter (money was never an issue, but Taako was very picky about his kitchens). While the wizard-chef never admitted it to anyone or even himself, Kravitz could see that Taako loved Angus very much. While his teasing could be a little rough and he was far from being the best dad, Angus loved him, too. Kravitz silently thanked the Raven Queen every time he could be around to watch them have a moment together. It would always be something small, like Taako tucking in Angus after he stayed up too late. Taako, unfortunately, never had the heart to let Angus know just how much he really cared. Angus had probably detective’d it out already, Taako told himself. Kravitz remembered a time when Angus first started going to school and came back once with a scraped knee. He had only tripped on the way home, but it took the combined power of Kravitz, Lup, and Barry to stop Taako from storming the school and magic missiling whichever child he thought _might_ have the capacity to hurt Angus.

It was precisely that level of passion and protection that set Kravitz on edge because he couldn’t find Taako anywhere. He had spotted Merle and Magnus as soon as he arrived. They were both in disguises at different tables. Magnus had opted for the overt trench-coat, hat, and sunglasses look. He would glance out from behind his menu then quickly duck back if he thought Angus or Lilly saw him. Merle’s outfit wasn’t that different from his usual, but his method of disguise was loudly affirming that he was not, in fact, Merle Highchurch.

“Can I take your order--Oh! Mister Highchurch! I wasn’t aware you’d be--”

“Who’s Merle?”

“...excuse me?”

“I’m not Merle! Or Highchurch! Never met him! Heard he’s a cool guy, though!”

And they somehow saved the world, Kravitz mused.

But Taako was nowhere. His presence didn’t allow him to hide in plain sight, and Kravitz knew he couldn’t resist being as close to Angus as possible, but no one had talked to them besides the waiters. Neither of them had any disguise magic on them. If it were up to Taako, he would’ve turned the ceiling of the restaurant into a glittering starfield. Kravitz sucked on his teeth as he ran over it in his head: If he were a world-famous elf TV chef bursting at the seams with magic, and was determined to make sure a date went well from a distance, where would he hide?

A commotion to Kravitz’s left broke his thinking. He only caught the tail end of it: A waiter was carrying two plates of food out of the kitchen. A slender blue hand reached out and yanked him back inside. Muffled shouting leaked through the door, but none of the guests seemed to notice. Indeed not Kravitz’s companions, who were still enamored with the date (Angus was rattling off more detective cases while Lilly leaned almost entirely over the table). Kravitz narrowed his eyes at the kitchen door.

...World-famous TV chef.

Kravitz exhaled. “Dammit.”

* * *

“No, no, no, _absolutely_ not!” the pale blue elf barked, snatching the plates out of the waiter’s hand, “you are _not_ serving that to my son!”

“Sir, like we’ve said, you can’t be back here! Their food is ready, we can’t keep them waiting!”

“Oh, gods, just look at them! They could talk until the sun rises tomorrow! I won’t have them eat something unfinished!”

“‘Unfinished’?” the head chef huffed. “Our food here is made to perfection! We employ only the very best---”

“Yeah, yeah, heard it before.” Taako dismissively turned around. “Let me give it some ‘sizzle it up’ magi---oof!” He walked smack into a chest. Taako’s eyes looked up, meeting the gaze of an unimpressed Kravitz. “...hey, babe.”

“So this was your scheme?”

“They need good food!” Taako defended, shoving past Kravitz to a prep table.

“You can’t just...trust the chefs?”

“No!”

The head chef stepped forward, his tomato-looking face near bursting. “How many other people are in my kitchen?!”

“Uh, sir?” the young waiter choked out, carefully approaching the head chef, “that’s, uh, that’s Taako. Like, Taako from TV, Story and Song, that Taako. And the other one is, uh, his boyfriend. He’s also the Grim Reaper.” The chef slowly turned to the waiter, expecting it to be a joke. It wasn’t. “Like..._the_ Grim Reaper.”

The chef burst. “IS THIS A KITCHEN OR IS THIS A _CIRCUS?!_”

Kravitz sighed and held up his hands. “Look, just...let Taako do what he wants, alright? It’s better than getting into it like this.”

Taako sauntered past the three, carrying both dishes in his hands. “Now _that’s_ what I’m talkin’ about! Wait ‘til they taste this!”

He was stopped by Kravitz’s hand on his shoulder. “Now, I have to step in. You’re just gonna...walk out there? Like that?”

Taako stared at him. “Uh, no. I’m gonna have a disguise.” He rolled his eyes. “Duh.” In a flash of light, where Taako stood was now a perfectly average-looking human waiter, dressed just like the others in the restaurant. Where his curly, golden hair was, there was now a black, messy mop. His pointy ears, nose, and beady elf eyes were the only giveaway. With a smug look, he grinned to the kitchen staff then marched towards Angus and Lilly.

The couple was still locked in an exciting conversation. They would’ve almost completely missed their food arriving if it weren’t for a particularly showboaty waiter.

“Al~right! Here you are, Ang---mister McDonald! For you and your date!” The “waiter” set down the dishes.

At their table, Lup groaned as she paid out fifteen silver.

Angus looked up at the waiter, politely smiling. “Oh, thank…” he began but stopped when he got to look at the waiter. Angus couldn’t shake that he recognized him. It was the ears and eyes, they seemed odd for a human head. Taako, on the other hand, thought his disguise foolproof, and simply grinned back at Angus. His fingers excitedly tapped his palms behind his back.

“...thank you, sir.”

“No problem, Ango!”

Angus, the boy detective, blinked. Before he could say anything, Taako wheeled around and sped back to the kitchen.

“Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit.”

Kravitz leaned against the wall with crossed arms, giving Taako an unimpressed look as he hurried through the door. “Smooth as always, love.”

* * *

“Is something wrong?”

Angus looked back at his date, shaking his head. He had been watching that odd waiter scurry away. “Oh, no, I don’t think so. Just…” he caught himself before his thoughts went on without control, “...thought I recognized him.”

Lilly and Angus locked eyes across the table.

When two people cross paths on the street, they see each other as they are. No names, personalities, or previous encounters to think of, just another person to be quickly forgotten in the sea of faces they pass every day. But the instant these people interact, the barrier is broken. If they cross paths again, they’ll think of each interaction that makes up their view of each other; they are seen as the sum of their interactions. The waitress in the diner is happy to see her regular, who they have shared many fun conversations with. The cashier at the local grocery market feels a pit in their stomach when the known entitled customer enters their line. No matter which times they share, it’s impossible to ever see the outer shell of that person again. They are only seen as the sum of their parts.

In the case of Lilly and Angus McDonald, they were currently going through that exact experience.

Lilly looked at Angus. The boy detective. The world’s greatest boy detective, in fact. She could see his freckles dotting his cheeks. She could see his warm brown eyes. And beneath all that, she could see his mind. He had friends, she met them in passing, but watching Angus open up to her, taking her through story after story of his detectiving, she was momentarily struck by him. Behind those eyes laid kindness, more than she had ever seen from someone her age.

Angus looked at Lilly. He thought back to his anxieties before he made it to the restaurant. He had no idea what Lilly was going to think of him, but seeing her now, he had never seen anyone look at him that way. She was so...sharp. And quick. Her emerald eyes were attentive, but there was another quality: They looked through him. They latched to him as he rambled about solving cases.

When it dawned on them that they had been staring without saying nothing, they simultaneously snapped their heads away, glancing around awkwardly. The couple began to eat, but not before sneaking some more glances of each other.

Lilly froze upon putting the first bite in her mouth. She immediately shoveled in another, then another. Angus, meanwhile, was analyzing the food on his plate. His food sat in his mouth, slowly being chewed. The spices and flavor...it was good. Too good. He had tasted this zest before, but it had to be a coincidence. Angus turned over his shoulder and eyed the kitchen door.

No, he wouldn’t do this.

Taako could leave him alone.

Angus was here having a pleasant time with Lilly, that’s all that mattered. He tried to tune out his detective brain, and focus on the meal, swallowing more bites. It was good, anyway, regardless of tasting eerily like Taako’s cooking.

Angus looked up at Lilly. “I’ve been talking for a while, what about you?”

Lilly swallowed her food. “Hm?”

“Well…” Angus touched his neck, “I see you in some classes and in the hallways, but I think we’re on different tracks.”

“Oh, I’m a druid-in-training! I've always liked plants, and my mom likes to grow them with magic!"

“Oh, Taako’s been trying to teach me magic, but I’ve never tried druidic magic before!” Angus looked around. “Aww, they don’t have any little potted plants or anything. I thought it would be cool if---”

Angus was interrupted by another waiter appearing out of thin air. He was carrying a small potted flower wrapped in a napkin. The waiter set it down, then caught Angus’ surprised look before he left.

“Oh, it is from that gentleman over there, sir. He insisted.”

The waiter pointed a long finger a few tables over to a towering figure. Angus couldn’t catch his face but did notice his thick coat and hat. An odd choice, he thought, considering it was still the warm season. The boy detective could also spot a red, bushy beard, despite whoever-it-was’ best attempt at trying to hide behind his menu.

“Well, uh...give him my thanks, I guess.” Angus blinked then turned back to Lilly. “Wanna give it a try?”

“Any smoother, and I might’ve thought you planned it,” she winked, “I’m still a beginner, but maybe I can get some leaves to grow.”

The beginner druid took a breath and held a hand out towards the stem of the flower. Lilly’s hand glowed green as focused on the plant before her. She chewed on her lip in concentration (Angus found it hard to watch her magic instead of taking note of her cute tics). The flower began to tremble, and a leaf slowly sprouted from the stem. Angus watched with wide eyes. Once that one grew, another followed on the opposite side of the stem. This leaf was a little lower and didn’t grow as much.

“Gah!” Lilly gasped and let her hand down. The glowing ceased. She sat back and caught her breath, taking a sip of water. “Sorry, I can’t do that for too long.”

“That was amazing!” Angus cheered, “maybe you…”

He trailed off as he glanced at the plant. It was still trembling. Another leaf sprouted on the stem. Then another. The stem then grew, both in length and width. More plants branched off, shattering the pot and quickly overtaking the table. Angus leaped backward from his chair. The soccer team kept his reflexes in shape. Lilly yelped as she was pushed back onto the floor by the flowering mass.

“Lilly!” Angus yelled.

* * *

Merle Highchurch gaped at the giant plant. His faintly-glowing finger was still pointed at it.

“Whoops.”

* * *

Lucretia, Lup, and Barry stared, totally stunned. Taako and Kravitz caught it all through the window on the kitchen door. The entire restaurant was looking at their table.

In a way, Angus was thankful it wasn’t because of the suit.

Once the plant stopped growing, he pushed through the foliage and helped Lilly up.

“Are you alright? Did it scrape you?”

“Yeah---no---I’m fine, Angus!” she shouted, brushing herself off. Angus noticed she was shivering. Shock, he realized. He took a step back, giving her space.

“It’s alright, we’ll get out of here.”

A waiter hurried to the table, scanning the mess as if he could find some probable cause. “Sir, ma’am, I am _so_ sorry about this! What on Earth happened here?”

“I-I don’t know!” Angus looked around. His mind raced between making sure Lilly was okay and trying to spot a suspect. “someone requested this plant come to our table, then it went out of control!”

“Do you remember who requested it, sir?”

“Yeah, he was right---” Angus pointed at the table where the trenchcoat man had sat before, but it was now empty. “...there.”

Angus spun around as he caught another noise, this time the clattering of a dish. Another table was empty. Someone had just run.

“Sir, ma’am, our sincerest apologies,” the waiter continued, “your meal tonight, and the next one, will be completely free.”

“That’s alright, but we need to go. Thank you.”

Angus nodded to the waiter and helped a trembling Lilly outside, who was still brushing soil off of her.

“Angus, I swear that wasn’t me! I’ve never lost control of my magic!”

“It’s okay, I know it wasn’t. Your hand stopped glowing before it happened. Either the plant was enchanted, or someone else did it.” Angus paced as he spoke. He couldn’t stop himself from detectiving this time.

“...but I didn’t feel anything odd about it,” Lilly added, straightening her glasses, “You can tell something is trapped by magic when you try to use your own magic. It just feels off.”

“And that was a growth spell, which means it would take a decently strong spellcaster.”

“Way stronger than us, or anyone we know at the school. And not just any wizard can grow a plant like that, so it _has_ to be a druid. A high-level druid!”

“A high-level druid!”

The couple both froze, realizing they spoke the same words simultaneously. Angus never had someone not only keep up with him but get ahead of him before. Lilly’s cheeks were crimson at realizing how excited she’d gotten.

“...ahem,” Lilly looked down, fidgeting with her dress again, “...like Caleb Cleveland, right?” She looked at him from under her glasses, offering a shy smile.

Angus couldn’t help but return it. “Like Caleb Cleveland.”

Rustling around the side of the building snapped them out of the moment. Angus peeked around the corner. A tall, slim figure stood at the other end, quickly retreating behind their corner once Angus saw them. The detective slowly stepped down the alley, keeping his arms out and footsteps light. His date cautiously followed.

When he was around halfway down, he paused. A sudden thought entered his brain. He didn’t know where it came from, or how he didn’t realize it sooner, but there it was. Plain as day. Some detective he was.

Angus sighed and relaxed his stance. He took off his glasses and tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You can come out now, sirs.”


	3. Dessert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, this took way longer than I meant. Life got really crazy again and I also had to deal with some depression. But I finally found the energy to finish up the chapter and go back and clean up some grammar stuff in the last two chapters. Thank you all for your love and support! And huge thanks for my pre-readers: becrockroll, soukeyez, and MyKindOfCrazy

Taako shoved through the kitchen staff, taking the back exit and pacing briskly in the alley. His breaths were quick. His fingers trembled.

“What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck…” the wizard mumbled, his mind racing. Did someone try to hurt Angus? There was no way that little girl could’ve done it! And the two people who left, who were they? Had they come for Angus? Were they classmates bullying him? Sure, listening to Angus talk about his day wasn’t the most fascinating of subjects, but he would’ve picked up on something being wrong...right?

Kravitz watched from the door, looking concerned for Taako.

“Hey, just breathe. You saw them get out okay, they’re just a little shaken up.”

“But it’s more than that! What if one of them had been hurt?! What if...ugh! I should’ve run out there to protect them. Fuck them not seeing me, no one gets to pick on Angus but me!” The elf kicked over a trash bag, splitting it open.

A few calming breaths later, Taako turned to face Kravitz. “Alright, babe, let’s go look for them. You take the---” Taako cut himself off as he glanced down the alleyway.

He was being watched.

He ducked around the corner with Kravitz. He didn’t get a good look at them, but he did catch a glimpse of the suit one of the figures at the other end was wearing. There was no mistaking it: it was Angus. Hopefully, he hadn’t seen him. Oh, gods, was that girl with him? What would Angus say if he knew Taako was here? This was going so wrong so fast! Taako held his breath and pulled on his hat. Was he walking this way? Could he just teleport away? No, he had used up all of his spell slots making that stupid suit glitter and disguising himself earlier. Shit, gotta think, gotta think---

“You can come out now, sirs.”

Taako froze. That was Angus’ voice.

He sighed and straightened up, inhaling through his nose then stepping out behind his corner. His pathetic, sheepish grin met Angus’ exasperated expression.

The elf awkwardly waved. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Sir, what are you doing here?”

“Uh...well…” he glanced over to Kravitz, looking for help but receiving none, “...we just wanted to see how the date was going.”

Angus exhaled and rubbed his forehead, shutting his eyes. “You were the waiter, right?”

“Not a bad disguise, eh?” Taako joked, trying to lighten the situation. Angus’ unimpressed face was response enough.

“Sir, I don’t understand---”

“Angus!” a voice boomed from behind him. It belonged to Magnus, whose overly-conspicuous trench coat whipped behind him as he ran into the alley. “I tried to find the guy who did it, but he ran away! Are you both okay?!”

As best as Angus could tell, Magnus’ concern was genuine, but it didn’t stop him from facing the real question: “...Magnus? Sir, what are _you_ doing here?”

“...me?” Magnus tried to buy himself thinking time, but he could see it wasn’t working. “Uh, well...I had to make sure the chairs were good.”

Angus slowly blinked. “The...chairs.”

“Y...Yeah, the chairs! And the tables!”

“...how can tables be not good?” Lilly spoke up, cautiously eyeing the strange man.

Mangus began to count on his fingers, “if they’re too tall, if they’re too short, if they’re not sanded…” His counting was interrupted by someone huffing and running into the alley. It was Merle, looking winded.

“I tried to catch him, Agnes…” he panted, “...but he was too fast.”

“Exactly how many of you came here to spy on Angus’ date?” Kravtiz questioned, leaning out from behind Taako.

Both Magnus and Merle gaped at Taako, now noticing the elf wizard standing there.

“Wait, you’re here, too?”

“Wait, you’re here, too?”

Then they pointed shocked fingers at each other.

“You’re here, _too_?!”

“You’re here, _too_?!”

“SIRS!” Angus suddenly shouted.

Silence fell upon the group. Lilly was stunned. Angus turned back to Taako, his ordinarily bright eyes now steely. “Why did you come here?” he slowly asked.

Taako crossed his arms. His excuse was already thought out: “I wanted to make sure the food was good.”

“You recommended the restaurant,” Angus quickly countered, “why would you need to come if it got your recommendation?”

Taako smirked. This detective was good. “Well, yeah, but none of them have that Taako magic,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. Angus exhaled, annoyed by Taako’s uncooperative attitude. He glanced at Magnus. Angus already knew his excuse. Apparently, the five-star, top-of-the-list restaurant skimped out on their chairs. Then he turned to Merle.

“Alright, sir, why are you here?”

Merle shrugged. “I spied on my kids when they had their first date, didn’t see how this was any different.”

“I…” Angus stopped. He didn’t expect Merle to be the honest one. He ran his fingers through his hair to calm himself, then glanced at Lilly. A sudden dawning was shared between them.

_A high-level druid._

Angus spun back to Merle. “Sir, did you send the plant?”

The dwarf shook his head. “No, but I saw your little friend there trying to grow it. Thought I’d help.”

“Are you a druid?” Lilly cocked her head.

“Cleric.”

“Hmph,” the girl sighed, “there’s always something.”

“But then who sent the flower in the first place?” Angus asked the group, “we thought it was jinxed or something at first.”

Magnus spoke up again, sheepishly rubbing his neck, “Yeah, that was me. I could overhear you talking about flowers and, well...I thought it was a good idea.”

Angus stared at the four of them. “So...you all just came here to---”

A chorus of voices exiting the restaurant cut him off:

“Hurry, we need to see if they’re alright!”

“Why did you insist on waiting, then?!”

“It’s polite to pay the bill!”

“We’re from the Story and Song, we don’t have to!”

“Hey, let’s focus on this for now!”

Lucretia, Lup, and Barry went past the entrance to the alley before being dragged back by Lup. “Here they are!”

“Oh, thank the gods! Angus, are you alright?” Lucretia worriedly asked, pushing past Merle and Magnus.

“I’m okay…” he took a step back, surprised by Lucretia’s genuine worry. He knew she wouldn’t try to excuse her actions, but she hadn’t done anything anyway (as far as he knew). Angus looked past her at Lup and Barry. “...how many of you are there?”

“Cap’n Port’s out of town,” Merle spoke up. Angus shot him a look, which only made him shrug.

“Okay...so, all of you,” Angus looked around at his family, “all of you came. You all came, and instead of just watching, you all wanted to mess with it.” His hands clenched into fists. “My date - my _first_ date - got attacked by a plant. A plant.”

“Hey, kid,” Taako began, “you can’t---”

“Taako.” Angus glared at the wizard. The crowd, sans Lilly, all stared at Angus. He rarely used their names. It was always “sir” or some other polite word. Even when he was upset or even scared, his manners never faltered. Now, they were all thinking the same thing: They had never seen Angus McDonald, the world’s greatest detective, truly furious before. “I know all of you have bonds that we could never hope to understand. You all are, technically, over a hundred years old. You’ve lived so many lives and gotten so close. I don’t know what boundaries you have or how close you allow the others to be, but this isn’t like that!” he shouted, “this life is mine! You’ve had hundreds, I have one! I know you want to be a part of it, but let me live it how I want!”

* * *

The IPRE crew remembered how they felt when they discovered what Lucretia had done. The secret she’d kept for years: Desperate for a way out, Lucretia had done the unthinkable. The Lonely Journal-keeper wiped the memories of all her closest friends. She desperately wanted to tell them as soon as she found them all again. Hope was crushed into despair when they turned against her. When they learned the truth. Lucretia still had nightmares about the look on Magnus’ face as his memories dissolved into static. The scene of his face turning from confusion and hurt to a gentle, docile peace carved itself into her mind. She was tormented by the image of Taako pointing the Umbrastaff at her, his eyes filled with unbridled hatred. She was ashamed when she realized she hadn’t even considered the third option.

It was betrayal.

Lucretia had betrayed her friends’ trust. Was she forgiven in the end? Yes, but things were never the same. Not for everyone. It was plain that Taako still harbored resentment, and the scars weighed heavily on Lucretia even now.

Betrayal.

Each of the IPRE crew was familiar with it in their own way. Some on the giving end, others on the receiving end. But now, everyone was on the same side. Everyone felt the same pits in their stomach and the shame crawling up their backs.

Because they had just betrayed Angus McDonald.

* * *

Lilly was, honestly, impressed. In school, Angus was one of the sweetest kids. He shrugged off roasts and never let anything break his stride. A family could be hell, everyone knew it, but she never could’ve guessed that this is what Angus’ family was like. Not only did he have two moms and five dads, but his family was also mega-famous and closer to each other than anyone could hope to be in their lifetimes. In a way, it was kind of the family everyone wanted, she thought. Then again, seeing Angus snap like this obviously meant it had some downsides. They loved, they just loved too much. What impressed her was knowing Angus had this side to him and could stand his ground.

In contrast to Angus’ fiery rage, the others around him looked crushed with guilt. Taako was looking away, hiding his eyes under the brim of his hat. Kravitz was rubbing the back of his neck, also glancing away. Merle was wincing. Lucretia and Magnus, however, looked the most pitiful out of all of them. The former’s hands, neatly folded in front of her, were pale from gripping each other. The latter’s lip was quivering, thinking back to his wife and how perfect he wanted everything to be. Angus, having gotten what he wanted to say out of his system, was looking around at them all. He felt bad at first, he didn’t want to upset his family, but feeling Lilly’s hand gripping his told him he did the right thing.

The silence was long and heavy until Lucretia spoke. “Angus...I’m so sorry. We just...we wanted to be sure you were happy.”

“...yeah.” Taako was still looking away. The elf’s eyes were very red beneath his hat. “Kid, I---” He paused, taking a breath and correcting himself. “...Angus. I know that this is your life. And we all want to be a part of it, of course. But, you’re right. We went too far.” The rest of the group quietly nodded. “Of course it’s your life, Ango. And we wouldn’t ever try and live it for you.” His eyes finally managed to meet Angus’, looking between him and his date. “Why don’t you make sure your night at least ends well?”

Angus looked back at Taako. He wanted to say something but figured he didn’t need to. He nodded and walked into the night, holding hands with Lilly.

* * *

Taako was at home. Not much had happened after Angus made his exit from the alley. Everyone felt horrible. Merle comforted Magnus as they left. Lup and Barry left with Lucretia, leaving Taako and Kravtiz to themselves. While he and Lucretia never really saw eye-to-eye after regaining their memories, Taako felt worse seeing how torn up Lucretia was. He could easily imagine this hitting her harder than anyone else.

A shaky sigh escaped him as he busied his hands with dishes. They were already clean, and probably spotless, but he needed to do something. If he sat still, his legs would bounce. If he stood up, he’d pace until he wore out the floor.

Taako knew he was far from a dad. He wasn’t the parent Angus needed. He never realized how much he wanted to protect Angus until the scraped-knee incident. But this? He couldn’t help but wonder if he had to start all over now. Would he and Angus still look at each other the same way? Did they manage to scare Lilly away with their antics? Gods. Taako couldn’t bear the thought…

It was the unlatching of the front door that brought the elf out of his own head. He glanced up to see Angus. The two stared at each other from across the house.

“...hey, Ango.”

“Hey, sir.”

He still called Taako “sir.” That was good. Things weren’t too bad, he thought.

“You get her home okay?”

“Mhm.” Angus nodded.

“...did she have a good time?”

“Yeah.”

Damn it all. Angus was going to make Taako do the impossible: Share his feelings.

“Look...I’m sorry,” Taako uneasily managed, “I know I’m not perfect. And I know I can be...mean. But this was too far. None of us meant for anything to happen the way it did.”

Angus paused, walking closer to Taako. “I forgive you, sir.” A great weight lifted from the wizard. “I know it was a mistake. You guys were just excited for me.”

Taako was relieved, but the next question came before he could stop it: “Did you really mean what you said? About your one life?”

Angus glanced away. Had he really said that? Maybe he had gotten madder than he thought. “...in a way. But…” he paused before wrapping his arms around Taako, “...I wouldn’t trade it for any others. I’m glad you’re all a part of it.”

The elf was stunned when Angus suddenly hugged him. He felt tears coming on but held them back. “Aw, jeez, kid…” He hugged him back and ruffled his hair. “Now, don’t spare me any details. What happened afterward?”

“Well, we walked around a lot, just talking. We saw some gardens and---”

“Okay, too many details,” Taako joked, beginning to put away dishes,   
“Did you kiss her?”

Angus was silent, a blush creeping on his cheeks.

“Well? Did you kiss her?”

…

Another shattered plate.

Another unbridled shriek of joy.


End file.
